


Ripples to Waves

by GenderfluidAJ



Category: Bleach
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenderfluidAJ/pseuds/GenderfluidAJ
Summary: Merel Ito is the oldest child of Captain Kaede of squad 10. When she gets in to trouble at school shit hits the fan and a series of events is triggered that'll change her life forever.





	1. Life sucks and then you die

Chapter 1 : Life sucks, and then you die

“She's such a jerk.” Merel said as she sat down next to her friends in the canteen. “It's all I've got this and you don't, it's so frustrating.” she continued even though Dani and Sam weren't really listening. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her.  
“Hey guys.” Merel knew exactly who that bubbly voice belonged to.  
“Hi Jane.” Dani and Sam said, their voices barely audible over the year 11s having a yelling match 2 tables over. Merel ignored Jane and watched them have an arm wrestling match.  
“What's wrong Blackbird?” she asked, putting her hand on Merle's shoulder. Merel shrugged away from her and turned around to glare.  
“You.” came her curt reply.  
“Me? What have I done?” she asked, her hands clasping her chest in mock fear.  
“I can name 3 things you've done this week that give me reason enough to pound your head in.”  
“I didn't know idiots could count that high. Then again, you are Chinese.” she said, squinting her eyes.  
“I'm Japanese.”  
“You all look the same. Go on then, name them.” she replied, her hands resting on her hips now in challenge.  
“1; you threw your lunch at me 2 days ago.”  
“I'm pretty sure I tripped.” she said, fake innocence tainting her voice.  
“Bullshit.”  
“Language.” she said with a smile.  
“2; you and your lackeys spat on me and kicked me till I couldn't move, I still have the bruises on my shins. And 3; when we were playing dodgeball this morning you got your entire team to aim at me, even after I was already out.” she said, her voice so loud that she was practically yelling.  
“So what are you going to do about it?” Jane asked, leaning in towards her, knowing that she was untouchable.  
“Merel don't. You'll get detention.” Dani's voice was barely audible through the blood pounding in her ears. Merel took a deep breath and stared blankly at Jane, trying desperately to calm down.  
“Thats what I thought.”  
Merel kicked her legs out from under her and jumped onto her chest, punching her face and body with every bit of strength she had. There was a stunned silence before Dani grabbed her arm as she went for a punch and pulled her off the unconscious girl.  
Merel's chest was heaving as she looked down at the girl who was now covered in her own lunch and blood.  
“Miss Ito, Office now.” One of the teachers said. She just stood there, staring until the teacher grabbed her by the shoulders and marched her out of the canteen. A moment later a cheer sounded that snapped her out of her daze.   
The adrenaline left her body and she felt her knees buckle and a moment later the pain of them hitting the uneven tarmac of the playground. She got up and continued to walk with the teacher to her office, not speaking a word, still in shock at her own actions. When they got to the teachers office she sat down on the nearest chair, not caring that it itched her legs, and stared at the floor. The teacher pushed a plastic cup of water into her hands.  
“Merel, you know I have to ask why you did this.” she said, Merel looked up and finally recognised the teacher as her English teacher, Mrs Webb.  
“She- she.” she stopped and looked into the cup as if it could answer for her. “She's been picking on me since primary school, calling me names and making fun of my eyes, doing this.” she put the cup in her lap and pulled at the corner of her eyes. “I don't know why- i- I dont. I think it was just too much today.” Merel continued, picking up the cup again and taking a shaky sip.  
“I know that you mentioned this to Eikon, I just hadn't realised that it was this bad.” Mrs Webb said, reaching out a hand and pressing it onto her shaking knee.  
“They barely did anything.” she put the cup down on the table. “I went a couple of times and they did nothing, just wrote it down. Nothing came of it.”  
“I'm sorry.” she said, taking her hands back. “Unfortunately you did knock her out, which, you know, is against the school rules, so I do have to put you in isolation for that.”  
“I know.” Merel said, reaching down to pick up her bag before realising that she hadn't grabbed it. “My bag.”  
“Someone will grab it, come on, lets go to the ALC, it's quiet there.” she said before leading Merel out the room and down the stairs. The hallways were quieter , class had started again, as they walked to the ALC. Dani ran up to them, throwing the pink rucksack at Merel.  
“Gotta go to Spanish, sorry!” she yelled before darting down a hall. Merel smiled before stepping into the ALC.  
The ALC was empty barring the teacher that was sat at a computer going through her emails. She looked up and smiled as Merel sat down. There were a few tables there and Merel sat at the farthest from the door, pulling out her notebook and started to write in it. It was going to be a few hours before she could go home.

She retied her hair up as she left the building, starting the short walk home from school. It wasn't long until she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned and faced them, there were more than she had expected, but then again Jane's brother tended to have at least 3 people with him at all times.  
Jane's older brother was in year 9, sure he was only 2 years older than her but he had already gone through a growth spurt and looked like a professional wrestler. Add to that that he was with other people that all looked the exact same, she didn't stand a chance.  
She took a breath and tried to calm the anxiety that was bubbling in her chest, only to fail desperately as a smile cracked his face. Her brain was trying to decide whether to run or fight him, the decision was made when he threw a punch at her. She ducked under it and punched him in the chest, pushing him away from her before kicking him in the chest.  
He stumbled backwards and two of his friends jumped forwards and made a grab for her. They grabbed her arms and pulled her off the ground as Jane's brother recovered. He walked forwards and she kicked him in the gut, winding him and pushing him to the ground. She bit at one of the other kids hands and he let her go. She span around and punched him in the head sending him sprawling on the floor. She wanted to run home, but if she did they'd catch her and know where she lived and she didn't want either of those to happen.   
“You little bitch.” Jane's brother spat as he got up and pulled something out of his pocket before charging her. She fell under his weight and she realised what the thing was. A knife. She moved her head as he pressed the knife against her throat, she could feel the blood start to pool at her collar bone.  
She looked to the side, anywhere but the monster of a kid trying to kill her, and saw someone running over. There was a kick and the boy was off of her. She rolled over and wiped at her neck, her hand coming away bloody.  
“You alright, blackbird?” a familiar voice asked as she stood up slowly.  
“I'm great Grimmy.” she replied before throwing a punch at the one nearest her. “He's got a knife.” she said as she got back to back with the older boy.  
“I saw. You should go home.”  
“I'm not leaving you. Just cause you're older doesn't mean you can tell me what to do.” she said as she ducked under another punch and kicked the kid in the gut. He folded and she brought her knee up to his face. He fell over and didn't move.  
“Graham Jaques, I thought you were too cool to associate with the little china girl.”   
“She's Japanese you dick.” he said before running towards him. She watched as he swiped at him with the tiny knife. She saw Grimmy flinch before he grabbed the kids wrist and twisted it painfully.  
The other boy took the chance to grapple her. She fought back and kicked his shins but he grabbed her neck and pressed the small nick. She let out a pained moan as he held her off the floor. Grimmy turned and Jane's brother took the opportunity and stabbed him in the back, wrapping his arm around the older boy. He brought up the small knife and ran it over Grimmy's throat.  
She screamed.  
The raise in her spiritual pressure knocked the boys holding them out cold. Grimmy fell to the floor quickly, she could hear his ragged breathing, she knew he wasn't getting enough air. She took a step and fell as pain made her head spin. She reached a hand up and felt the back of her skull, her hand came back bloody. She let out a groan before crawling over to Grimmy.  
“You're wounded.” he managed, his voice torn and broken.  
“You're a lot worse than me.” she said before reaching into his blazer pocket and grabbing his phone.  
She dialled 999 with unsteady hands as she started to lie down, her head spinning. She watched his chest rise and fall rapidly as the line connected.  
“999 What's your emergency?”  
“My friend and I were attacked. He got stabbed.” her voice started to slur.  
“What's the address?”  
“Darthmouth Road. Bishop's Gate School.”  
“Are you alright, you sound bad.”  
“They cut my throat, not too deep, but I hit my head too.”  
“Alright, we're sending an ambulance. Are they still there?”  
“Yes, but they're unconscious.” she said before her world started to turn black. She rested her head on the cold tarmac and closed her eyes, listening to the voice on the other line.  
“You still there? What's your name?”  
“Merel.”  
Grimmy's face was pretty when he wasn't scowling at someone.  
“Merel, stay with me. How old are you?”  
“11.” she managed.  
“11. So you're in secondary school right? What about your friend, what's his name?”  
“Graham. He's 15.” she said as he started to cough. “Grimmy.” she said as she reached out to him, rocking him slightly. He stopped coughing. “He's not doing so good.”  
“Is he breathing?”  
“Not well. Raspy.” she said as she squinted her eyes.  
“Alright, well the paramedics are nearly there.”   
She was right, Merel could hear the sirens now. She let go of the phone and closed her eyes.  
“There here.” she said.


	2. Precious moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merel wakes up after surgery and finds Graham in the room next to her. They watch the sunrise together.

Chapter 2: Precious moments

Merel woke up in the ambulance, her head spinning. She looked up at the ceiling as a head came into view.  
“Hi there, how do you feel?”  
“Dizzy.” she replied. “Where's Grimmy?”  
“The boy you were with? He's in an ambulance ahead of us. He got taken first. What happened?”  
“I pissed off the wrong person.” she said, turning to look at the wall, anything but the bright white light that was hurting her eyes and head.  
“I'm going to give you something that'll put you to sleep, you're not allergic to anything?”  
“Knives apparently.” she said with a smirk. He smiled and she felt the liquid get pushed into her. She fell asleep.  
When she woke up the second time she was in a ward. She sat up slowly and looked around as the pain flashed across her eyes. It hurt, but the edges were blurred, it wasn't as sharp as earlier.   
“Grimmy?” her voice sounded foreign to her, like it was spoken through water. She grabbed her school jumper and pulled it on as best as she could, careful of the lines going into her arm.  
She stood up and walked towards the nurse office, holding tight on the drip, mainly for support.  
“Watashinotomodachi-” she paused and closed her eyes. Something was wrong with that sentence. Oh right it was in Japanese. She took a breath and tried again. “ Where is my friend, Grimmy?”  
The nurse looked down at the computer.  
“The boy you came in with, Graham?” she asked. Merel nodded mutely. “He's in the ward next door. He just came out of surgery, so did you so you shouldn't be walking around.”  
Merel ignored the last part and started out of the ward, taking in a deep breath before pushing open the door on the other side. The ward was empty bar the nurses and Graham. She walked over towards him and sat on his bed, placing her head on his chest, listening to his heart.  
“Hey, what are you doing here?”  
She ignored him and he seemed to walk off.  
“Grimmy.” her voice was quiet.  
“Merel.” his voice was heavy and slurred. He moved slightly and pulled her into a hug.  
“You're awake.”  
“The sunrise is pretty, I wouldn't miss it.” he said, she could hear the sleepy smile. She could also hear his heart rate dropping. He took in a strained breath and it calmed slightly. “Remember when we went campin, feels like forever ago.” he continued, ruffling her hair slightly.  
“Yeah, sky was pretty then too.” she replied. “It was 2 weeks ago, feels so different though.” she said. He let out a small mmm in affirmation as the heart monitor started to beep. She pulled away as one of the nurses came back over. He helped her off the bed.  
They started compressions as another nurse came in with a defib. She wanted so badly to look away, but she refused to let him die alone. She watched as they shocked him once, twice, three times before they stopped. She fell to the floor and cried. The door to the ward opened and a pair of arms wrapped around her, she recognised the smell, her mother.  
She helped Merel stand and lead her back to the ward she was meant to be on, Merel no longer aware of anything other the Grimmy's dead body in the room next door.  
The hours sped past, the nurse came and took the iv out of her arm and helped her get dressed. Then she was given some medication and her mum was handed a small bag for the meds that she had to take when she was home for then next month. Her mum signed sheet after sheet of paper, officially discharging her so that she could continue her recovery at home.   
Her mum helped her dress before taking her hand and leading her down the stair to the car park. It felt surreal, like it was a joke and she was waiting for the punchline. Then she saw a familiar car pull up, one that had taken her camping, Grimmy's mum. She'd been out of the country for work, Grimmy had been living with his older brother. She must have gotten the next possible flight, Merel was glad she wasn't the one to tell her that she had missed him.  
“Mum.” Grimmy's voice appeared as she felt a cold chain wrap around her wrist. She reached for it and followed the blurry chain up to his blurry body that was slowly coming into focus.  
“Grimmy.”  
He turned at her voice and looked at her, wrapping her in a ghostly hug.  
“So you can see him too.” her mum said, looking at the pair. “Your father and I had wondered if you would be able to.”  
“You mean you can both see me?” he asked, earning a nod from them both. He smiled and ruffled her hair. “I don't know what I expected, you can always sense me, why wouldn't you be able to now.”  
“We should get you home now.” she said, gently squeezing her shoulder before guiding her to the car.   
She got in and rested her head on the window, dizziness overwhelming her as she closed her eyes. It had been a while since she had felt dizzy, and even then it had been the happy dizzy you get from spinning around too fast. This was definitely not that. Her mum made sure to drive slowly, keeping an eye on her daughter who kept on drifting in and out of sleep. It was a 30 minute drive home from the hospital.  
“Hey sleepy.” she said as she opened the door. Merel stirred but didn't move. Her mum picked her up and carried her to the door, Merel nuzzling into the warmth, before reaching for her keys. The door opened and her dad was stood on the side.  
“Kaede.” he smiled before taking the sleeping child from his wife and letting them in.  
Her father carried her up the stairs and laid her on her bed, taking her shoes off and placing them on the floor. She stirred at this and looked at him.  
“Dad?”  
“Hey blackbird, you look tired, get some sleep.” he said before walking over and tucking her in. she didn't put up a fight and nuzzled into the covers.   
“Where's Anja?” her voice barely audible through the duvet.  
“She's sleeping with your mother tonight, give you some quiet.” He said before sitting on the bed next to her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now, I have to go to work.” he said as she stood up.  
“Stay safe.” he made out before she started to snore, little breathy gasps of air. He smiled before turning to look at the ghost.  
“I know you're there Graham, just cause I can't see you like this doesn't mean I can't sense you.”  
“I know.”  
“I should send you to the soul society.”  
“Not yet Mr Ito, please. I don't want to leave her.”  
“I know.” he replied. “I'm sorry I wasn't there.”  
“You were busy. Stay safe today.” he said before sitting down on the bed next to Merel.  
“I'll do my best. Look after her.”  
“I will. I always will.” Grimmy replied, pushing a rogue hair out of her eyes. Kaede smiled at the familiar sight before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.  
He walked down stairs and swallowed the small sweet, his body hitting the floor before the soul reacted and sat up. Kaede walked over to his wife and pressed a kiss to her cheek.  
“I'm off Chloe, look after Merel.”  
“I will.” she replied before turning and resting against the counter. “I should go wake the kids, they have school.” she said before leaning forwards and kissing Kaede. “Stay safe love.”  
“I always do.” he said before leaving.


End file.
